they go wherever music was all over the country, and they found people like ray charles and ruth brown and lavern baker, and they found these people. they were open to it. it is not like that anymore. tavis: they did not sign you. >> they did not. there was the place i went because paul anka, and i loved his song "diana." he was only a few months older than i, and i thought if he could do it, i could do it. and there was the hook in "diana," and i wanted to ask the producer, and he had me in and listen to my song and mcmillian the next one and the next one, and i said i do not have any more, and i got a contract. it was amazing. at 15. tavis: i have is going to say that. at 15. what did jerry and ahmed say years later about not signing you? >> they wanted to sign me later, but it was not synchronous did. much later, i recorded a couple of albums for atlantic, but they encouraged me, and they had songs that i had written or jerry handwritten. >> a very -- tavis: very courageous about your marriage is, including one that was abusive. >> yes. tavis: many i have to spend more time going ba